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Overview
Agha Shahid Ali (1949–2001) was a Kashmiri-American poet widely regarded as one of the most significant South Asian voices in American literature. Born in New Delhi and raised in Kashmir, he earned degrees from the University of Kashmir, the University of Delhi, and a Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University, followed by an M.F.A. from the University of Arizona. He is best known for his collections including The Half-Inch Himalayas (1987), A Nostalgist’s Map of America (1992), The Country Without a Post Office (1997), and Call Me Ishmael Tonight (2003). He revived the ghazal form in English poetry and co-founded the Ghazal Society of America. He died in December 2001 from a brain tumor.
Ali was a member of the Hamilton College English faculty in the early 1990s, listed in the catalogs as a faculty member beginning in 1987 (noted as “Agha Shahid Ali (1987) FS” in the 1993–94 and 1994–95 catalogs, indicating a 1987 appointment year with Faculty Scholar status). He was paired with fellow faculty member Nathaniel C. Strout and William Rosenfeld in those listings.
Relevance to Research
Agha Shahid Ali’s presence in the Hamilton English department in the early 1990s connects the college to one of the most celebrated poets of his generation. His work appeared in Hamilton course catalogs as assigned reading in literature courses at least from 2013 to 2016, with A Nostalgist’s Map of America used in a digital humanities course examining contemporary literature. His legacy at Hamilton extends beyond his tenure: his poetry continued to shape curriculum decades after he left for the University of Utah and after his death.
Notes
- Hamilton College English faculty, c. 1987 to mid-1990s; listed as “Agha Shahid Ali (FS)” in 1993–94 and 1994–95 catalogs alongside Nathaniel C. Strout and William Rosenfeld
- The notation “(1987)” in the catalog appears to indicate his year of appointment
- Kashmiri-American poet; born 1949, New Delhi; died December 2001, Amherst, MA (brain tumor)
- Major collections include The Half-Inch Himalayas (1987), A Nostalgist’s Map of America (1992), The Country Without a Post Office (1997)
- Left Hamilton for the University of Utah, where he directed the creative writing M.F.A. program
- His poetry A Nostalgist’s Map of America was assigned in a Hamilton digital humanities course (English/Cinema and New Media Studies 217/317, taught by P. O’Neill) in the 2013–14, 2014–15, and 2015–16 academic years
- In the 2015–16 catalog, his poetry is listed alongside Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah and Dave Eggers’s The Circle in a literature course
- Revived the ghazal form in English; co-founded the Ghazal Society of America
Related Sources
- yhm-arc-pub-cat-1993-94 — listed as English faculty member (FS, appointed 1987), paired with Nathaniel C. Strout
- yhm-arc-pub-cat-1994-95 — listed as English faculty member (FS, appointed 1987), paired with William Rosenfeld
- yhm-arc-pub-cat-2013-14 — A Nostalgist’s Map of America assigned in digital humanities literature course
- yhm-arc-pub-cat-2014-15 — same course with A Nostalgist’s Map of America
- yhm-arc-pub-cat-2015-16 — poetry assigned in contemporary literature course
Related Topics
- curriculum-and-academic-departments — member of Hamilton English faculty in the early 1990s
- faculty-governance-and-academic-affairs — faculty appointment and status
- course-catalogs-collection — documented in catalogs as faculty and as assigned author
- digital-humanities-initiative — his work used in digital humanities course 2013–2016